What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

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I am not a doctor, none of the information on any of these pages pertaining to the Ketogenic Diet or Adrenal Fatigue should be considered medical advice and should not replace the care of your personal physician. I am simply eager to share the information I have learned while on my own journey to health. Before you embark on this journey, please consult with your physician.

I remember the first time I heard the term Adrenal Fatigue.

I was on the phone with a doctor who had done some testing for me while we were Stateside in early 2009.

I didn’t fully understand what we were testing. All I knew was that he came highly recommended in the field of female hormones and was working with us in the aftermath of my first two miscarriages to determine how my hormone levels may be affecting my ability to carry a pregnancy to full-term.

The test results were back.

Adrenal Fatigue.

What in the world did that mean and how did I get it?

Do you have adrenal fatigue? Here is how I discovered how I have adrenal fatigue, my symptoms, and how it has affected my life. #alittlerandr #adrenalfatigue #stress #abuse #chronicfatigue

He carefully explained it to me, and while I grasped the serious tone of voice, I still didn’t understand fully how this affected me, my health, or even what really caused Adrenal Fatigue.

But I wanted to know everything about it.

Since that day, I have committed myself to much research: both about Adrenal Fatigue and about recovery.

But how did I get it? That remains a mystery. It could have been through any number of things.  I had battled mononucleosis in Bible school and my diet had been poor at that time.

I had also worked 4 part-time jobs while juggling too many classes.

But the likely candidate was an abusive relationship I had been in for 16 months.

Engaged to a guy who from day one began to verbally and psychologically abuse me, I chose to leave him for the 3rd and final time 4 months prior to our wedding.

I walked away from him and never looked back.

But the sudden release of all that fear and trauma was too much as within a week odd symptoms began to crop up:

Large hives covered my arms and legs and I was forced to take leave of absence from work.

From then on a slow breakdown in my health began to occur.

Only two years later I boarded a one-way plane for Croatia.

The following 12-months would be a grueling lesson in how to endure language courses, visa-troubles, and navigation in a strange city.

The trauma of the abusive relationship combined with the overwhelming stress of moving to a new country, learning a new language and integrating into a new culture is likely what brought me to that moment on the phone as the words “Adrenal Fatigue” were uttered.

Yet – had those been the only two stressful moments in the nine years between entering an abusive relationship and the phone call, I would likely not be here.

No, it all exacerbated by all of the additional stress I faced in that time. I could fill volumes and months of blog posts talking about the stress I endured in those years.

Yet, that would accomplish nothing.

It’s not the fact that I had stress, it was that I didn’t know how to handle stress. I didn’t know how to say no (I wrote more about stress here).

I was my own worst enemy.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

First you need to know what your adrenal glands are.

They are small endocrine glands that sit above your kidneys. Their primary function is to help your body deal with stress.

There are two parts to the adrenal gland: the outer part is vital as it produces the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. The inner part produces adrenaline.

What do these hormones do?

We know that adrenaline is the “fight or flight” hormone. It is what enables our body to react in emergency situations with a strength that we may not otherwise have.

We gain sudden clarity and a burst of energy. It’s not essential for life everyday, but it can sure save our life when we need it. We can call this “blow torch”.

Cortisol is the slow burn to adrenaline’s blow torch.

Cortisol is what helps support your body under more long-term stressful situations: a parent dying of cancer, an addicted child in recovery. Long-term, but with an end in sight. It is also what regulates our metabolism.

Aldosterone is what regulates our blood pressure.

Now that we know what the adrenals do, what is Adrenal Fatigue?

Simply put, Adrenal Fatigue is when our adrenal glands are depleted of cortisol. That slow-burn hormone.

This occurs when cortisol is daily released into the blood stream.

You see, the body was never meant to release stress-hormones into the blood stream on a daily basis. The adrenal glands store them up so that when they are needed, there is a supply enough of cortisol to support the body long-term.

When that supply is exhausted, and the body has come to rely on cortisol being there – for whatever reason – problems begin to occur.

There are a number of symptoms a person experiences with Adrenal Fatigue, and because they mask other problems most times they do not realize the source of the problem.

Let me take a moment and address something:

Most medical doctors do not recognize Adrenal Fatigue as an genuine problem or diagnosis. They will work to try to resolve some of the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue: such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, or depression.

Yet, if the underlying issue as to why these symptoms have occurred are not addressed, the root of the problem will remain the same.

Before we discount Adrenal Fatigue as a legitimate diagnosis, let us remember other diagnoses that the medical community was slow to accept: such as Fibromyalgia.

What are the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue?

* Chronic Fatigue

* Insomnia

* Inability to handle stress

* Weight gain

* Arthritis

* Brain fog

* Inability to concentrate

* Salt cravings

* Sudden burst of energy in the evening

* Weak immune system

* Allergies

* Irritable Bowel Sydrome

* Low libido

* Low blood pressure

* Low blood sugar

How can I find out if I have Adrenal Fatigue?

The best way to test for Adrenal Fatigue is through a cortisol/DHEAS saliva test.

A saliva sample is taken 4 times during the day and then sent to a lab to test the levels of various hormones present in the sample at key times of the day to measure their rise and fall against what should be the norm.

While some people diagnose adrenal fatigue based solely on the symptoms alone, in order to properly treat whatever may be wrong, one does need to have an accurate diagnosis from a professional.

If your medical doctor does not recognize Adrenal Fatigue as a legitimate medical problem, consider seeing a naturopath.

What if I have Adrenal Fatigue?

I am so glad you’re here! In the days to come we will talk about four things you need to do to overcome Adrenal Fatigue naturally:

* Stress management and sleep

* Vitamins and supplements

* Food and diet

* Exercise


Here are more articles on Adrenal Fatigue & Health

What Is Adrenal Fatigue

Stress and Adrenal Fatigue

Supplements That Can Help Adrenal Fatigue

16 Ways Stay-at-Home Moms Can Get More Steps

12 Things Women Can Do to Avoid Becoming Fatigued

5 Decisions to Make on a Bad Day with Chronic Illness

Why I Began the Ketogenic Diet

The Acceptable Addiction

My Version of the Singing Canary

How I’ve Lost 40 Lbs and Kept It Off

4 Tools I’ve Used to Lose Weight

 

 

Rosilind
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16 Comments

  1. I’ve had a bad two years – left an abusive relationship, changed jobs, moved county, ill child, social services involvement, financial worries and have felt totally stressed out. Now that life is quieter, I feel more tired than I did when it happened and recognise most of the symptoms that you have stated.

    1. Wow – you have really been through so much. Just one of those you listed is tremendously stressful, but to go through all of that in two years’ time is extreme. I hope that the series was meaningful to you and that you find a place of healing!

  2. I don’t know if you’ve ever read any books by Dr. Archibald Hart, but he is a believer and has excellent books on stress, anxiety, and adrenal fatigue. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 8 years ago and believe adrenal fatigue plays a role. I’ll be looking forward to these posts to hear what you’ve learned! 🙂

    1. I haven’t – but I think I”ve heard that name before. I will be looking them up. I, too, believe that Adrenal Fatigue plays a role in fibromyalgia – I hope the rest of the posts were meaningful. 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by, Krista!

  3. I have battled adrenal fatigue and finally had to put down the “I can do it all” philosophy in order to work on getting well. It is a long on-going process, but healing DOES happen over time when the problems are addressed. I look forward to reading your next article on the subject. Thank you for explaining things so well… I think more people suffer from this than realize it… and it is good to get the information out there. 🙂

    1. I am so glad you followed my series. Your comments meant so much to me. Yes – I think half the battle is admitting we can’t – and shouldn’t – do it all. I think the initial healing is in our mind and heart. When we’ve done that, then we can focus on the physical part. But until we resolve our mind and heart, anything we do physically wont stick. Refusing to take on too much and live in stress is critical for the first step. I have more I want to share on that – but it’s still percolating. lol!

  4. Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve been so incredibly stressed from a major car accident 6 months ago and I’m just not getting better and I totally fit the bill for the symptoms. We’ve been trying to figure out what is going on and so this is really helpful.

  5. Wow, I have never heard of this… and I just found the series through your link up this week.. and now I really wonder if i have this!!! I am going to get tested!

    1. That is wonderful. I am so glad that this article spoke to you. I think more people struggle with this than we realize. We live in such a stressed out society.

  6. So glad to see a blog with this info. Most people are not aware of this condition I have had adrenal fatigue in the past, so I will definitely be interested in reading more of your posts. The good news is, you can get better. Thanks again for your contribution to all with this information..

  7. First , please sorry my english.
    My question is: you had 2 miscarriages. This was your first pregnancies and then you had your childrens? .( I ask because I had one baby in 2017 , and miscarriages in 2019 and one in 2020)… and i feel very tired, bad sleeping, depresion……

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